This concert is the last of six in the Leeds International Chamber Season 2023/24: French Connections. View all six concerts. View the brochure online.

About the Leeds International Chamber Season 2023/24

Each year, we ask a guest Artistic Director to curate our International Chamber Season. For the 2023/24 season, flautist Adam Walker has curated the six concerts which feature some of Adam’s dearest musical friends including the Orsino Ensemble, guitarist Sean Shibe, and the Marmen Quartet.

A note from Adam Walker

As a flautist I’ve always revelled in French repertoire. The flute blossomed as a solo instrument in France and many of our best pieces were composed there. As a result, much of a flute player’s musical DNA is rooted in France.

Whilst pieces such as Francis Poulenc’s Flute Sonata are a joy to return to, it’s an equal pleasure to discover lesser-known parts of the repertoire and so, assembling this series of far-reaching French chamber music has been a delight on many levels.

I’m very excited to welcome some of my dearest musical friends to Leeds to perform. The Orsino Ensemble’s mission is to shine a light on the breadth of wonderful woodwind music, here showcasing no shortage of material from the French masters. Virtuoso guitarist Sean Shibe delves into intriguing French musical connections in an eclectic programme, including contemporary music from the British Isles by Thomas Adès, Harrison Birtwistle, and Freya Waley-Cohen. The extraordinary Marmen Quartet presents Claude Debussy’s seminal String Quartet and I’m lucky enough to perform his trio sonata for flute, viola, and harp with Anneleen Lenaerts, Principal Harp of the Vienna Philharmonic, and star violist Timothy Ridout.

Judith Weir, Master of the King’s Music, wrote her gorgeous Nuits d’Afrique especially for the wonderful Irish soprano, Ailish Tynan. Ailish and I are excited to present this great work alongside pieces by Maurice Ravel, Hector Berlioz and more with cellist Tim Posner and pianist James Baillieu.

No French series would be complete without a flute recital, so I’m delighted to perform music from the golden age of the French Flute School with pianist extraordinaire, Katya Apekisheva.

With so many unique musical personalities involved, I can guarantee you concerts full of flair and joie de vivre as we whisk you away to the melting pot of 1920s Paris; the salons of the Belle Époque, 17th century Scotland, Catalonia, Madagascar and more to explore the music of France and the ‘French Connection’.

Adam Walker Artistic Director